Struggle for the Seasons
by VeryBerry96
Summary: One month after their battle with the pixie king, Annabelle and Jack are looking forward to enjoying their summer. But when tensions rise between summer and winter, spring and autumn, it may not be the lazy summer they were looking forward to, and Anna will have to decide who her real friends and real enemies are. Sequel to 'Annabelle the Garden Fairy.' Jack X OC.
1. Prologue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is a sequel to my first Rise of the Guardians story, Annabelle the Garden Fairy. If you've not read that yet then please go and do so otherwise you won't know who my OC is!**

**To people who have read my first story, hello again! Here is the much-asked for sequel as promised! I hope you all enjoy this new story! Please review!**

**DISCLAIMER: Rise of the Guardians is owned by Dreamworks. I own my OCs Annabelle, Fawn and Oliver.**

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**Struggle for the Seasons**

**Prologue**

"Nibbles! Bring Heather back down here now!"

Rudi chirped loudly, agreeing with me.

Nibbles poked his head out from the top of the tunnel which lead to the forest above us, chirping meekly. He nudged Heather whose head popped out next, avoiding her father's gaze. I sighed.

"Heather, you know you're too young to go outside without either me or your dad. Get back in here."

Heather flew back towards us but Nibbles didn't move. I raised an eyebrow at the young robin.

"Nibbles? Here. Now."

Nibbles began to fly over too before he apparently heard something coming from the forest above him. His face lit up and he sped up the tunnel. I rolled my eyes before walking towards my small kitchen and pouring two glasses of orange juice, knowing that only one person would make Nibbles speed off like that. I glanced over at Rudi for confirmation. He was in the middle of scolding his daughter but he nodded at me quickly when I looked over. Just as I looked back at the glasses of juice a cold wind filled our hideout and sent a shiver down my spine. I smiled.

"Did the little nuisance crash into you?" I asked.

I heard him chuckle. "Nah, I'm getting used to him doing that. I was ready to catch him this time."

I turned round to face Jack Frost, my best friend and boyfriend who'd saved my life more than once. He was smiling, Nibbles' face poking out of the pocket of his pale blue hoodie. I smiled back before bringing over the two glasses of orange juice and putting them down on the table. Nibbles flew off up to the crannies up at the ceiling of the hideout. Jack gave me a quick peck on the lips before sitting down, his staff propped up against the table, and almost downing his orange juice in one gulp.

I grinned. "Thirsty by any chance?" I asked.

Jack sighed. "It is far too hot out there. I needed that drink."

I noticed he was looking at my glass of juice, his eyes following a drop of condensation slowly falling down the glass. I rolled my eyes before pushing it towards him.

"Just drink it already," I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

His eyes lit up and he grabbed it before chugging it down. He sighed with relief as he placed the now empty glass down on the table next to the other now empty glass. He reached over the table for my hand and squeezed it.

"I love you," he sighed happily.

I stuck my tongue out again. "I know."

I laughed again, as did I.

"I love you too," I winked at him.

It felt weird that only one month ago I had been lying on the ground at the North Pole nearly dead. Even once I knew I wasn't going to die, I thought I was mortal and had lost my powers. I thought I had lost Jack. If I was no longer the spirit of spring then I couldn't stay with Jack anymore. Thankfully Jack had saved me and my powers had been restored. Obviously we had never swapped powers ever again, now that we knew the implications. I had a theory that even if we wanted to we would no longer be able too. We had only been given the ability to swap our powers so that we could avenge the Destined Spirits and defeat Jacobi. Now that he was no longer a threat I doubted that we would be able to do it anymore. I had discussed this with Jack, but we both agreed that it wasn't worth the risk to try.

"How was Bunny?" I asked Jack. He had been delivering a message from North to Bunnymund earlier today. Something about them continuing the argument that Christmas was (or in Bunny's opinion, _wasn't_) more important than Easter.

"He was alright," he shrugged. "He was out sunbathing above the warren. All the kids in the area are away on summer vacation so he had no worries about being seen."

I smiled, before my face turned serious for a moment. "Did he say anything about Jacobi?"

Jack's face also turned solemn. "That the last time he went to see North, he was still secure."

Jacobi was being held at the North Pole so that if - touch wood - he managed to escape again, he wasn't far away from the Guardian's regular meeting place. Unlike last time, it hadn't just been Jack and I who had contributed to the spell which now bound Jacobi to his icy prison. All four of the spirits of the different seasons had helped to seal the spell, which hopefully made it stronger than last time.

I grinned again, looking at the beads of sweat dripping down Jack's forehead. "You know, if you're that warm then you could always take off the hoodie."

Jack raised his eyebrows, chuckling. "If you want me to strip for you, you could just ask."

I rolled my eyes before leaning over and gently slapping him round the back of the head. "That's not what I meant you idiot, and you know it!"

He chuckled again, as did I.

"Anyway, there's no way I'm losing the hoodie," he insisted. "It's my trademark!"

I sighed and sat back, folding my arms across my chest. "You're going to melt then! And you'll have nobody to blame but yourself."

"I could blame Fawn," Jack grumbled. "She didn't have to make it so hot this year."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't know why you seem to have a grudge against Fawn. She's lovely!"

Jack sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno…she just rubs me up the wrong way."

I sighed too. Fawn was the summer spirit, and she was a really nice girl! But for some reason she didn't seem to like Jack, and Jack wasn't fond of her either.

I stood up and stretched, offering my hand to Jack to haul him up.

"C'mon, let's go fly about outside for a bit. The little ones need a chance to stretch their wings. Especially before Heather tries to escape again."

Jack smiled before taking my hand and letting me pull him up. He kept hold of my hand as I whistled for the birds, and together we all flew up into the warm summer air.


	2. Chapter 1 - Melting the Ice

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So we are rolling on with the sequel! I'm really happy with the feedback I've gotten; you guys seem to like the sound of this as much as I do!**

**Quick note, I am going to be away on holiday from the 1****st**** till the 14****th**** of July and I won't have internet so I won't be able to update any of my stories, including this one. I'll still be on summer holiday when I get back so I should hopefully be able to get the next chapter up fairly quickly after that. Who knows, I might get one up before I go on holiday! I will try, but no promises!**

**I did get a review from VickyT36 and I wasn't able to reply to it in a private message, so I'll just say that she's pretty much hit the nail on the head!**

**This chapter is dedicated to (get ready for a long list!) Deathly-Hunger-Jackson, NicNak428, The Galvanised Owl, VickyT36, Vivi Bright, ruler of the ice dragons, AzaleaDahlia, LoverDreamerFighter, princessofthesilvermoonlight, EraPenn, Falcrow-42, Pearl27 and truly-madly-deeply-forever. **

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please review!**

**DISCLAIMER: Rise of the Guardians is owned by Dreamworks. I own my OCs Annabelle, Fawn, Oliver and the robins.**

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**Chapter 1 – Melting the Ice**

Man I love flying. You'd have thought I'd have gotten over it after 250 years, but it still gives me a buzz. It's hard to describe the feeling to someone who hasn't experienced it though. Have you ever been on a roller-coaster that's speeding downwards before it swoops back up, and you get that…that _feeling _in the pit of your stomach? That's the only thing I can think of that even comes close to it.

Well, that's how it feels for me anyway. Flying's different for everyone. Tooth and I both have wings which is how we fly. North can fly thanks to the sleigh, and Jack can control the wind to move him through the air.

Flying's always fun. It's always exhilarating. But it's even more so when you're flying with someone else. Which is exactly what was going on now.

Jack and I were speeding over the Channel, racing from England to France. So far I was winning and Jack was grumbling in frustration. The fact that it was about 85 degrees out wasn't helping him.

"I told you that you should have taken the hoodie off!" I called back to him.

From about three meters behind me he grumbled something under his breath. I just laughed and kept flying.

I spotted the French coast on the horizon. "We're nearly there!" I informed Jack.

His head shot up and he grinned as he spotted the land before ploughing on with new-found energy, soon passing the three meters until he was level with me. We both smirked at each other before speeding on as fast as we could, trying to reach the land of the French first.

* * *

"I…am…exhausted…"

"Me…too…"

We were both sitting on the beach in France that we'd seen, our staffs thrown on the sand next to us. We had gotten there at the exact same time and now we were both almost passed out. Heat plus exercise equals two dog-tired immortal teenagers. Not a barrel of laughs, I can tell you that.

I flopped onto my back, closing my eyes. Sweat was trickling down from my forehead. If I was hot in just my dress I couldn't imagine how Jack was holding up with his hoodie on.

Suddenly the sun was blocked out. I opened my eyes to see Jack leaning over me. A faint blush crept onto my cheeks, but since my face was already red from the flight Jack wouldn't be able to tell.

"What're you doing?" I murmured.

He smiled, his exhaustion apparently gone. "You're cute when you're tired."

My blush got stronger and Jack chuckled, meaning he could probably now tell I was embarrassed.

He leant down, his lips only just brushing mine. "Silly," he murmured. "Nobody's here, and they wouldn't be able to see us if they were."

Part of my brain told me to argue with him and tell him that it wasn't appropriate to make out on a public beach even if we were invisible to humans, but when he laced his fingers with mine and softly brushed the hair out of my face with his other hand that part of my brain shut up. Jack kissed me properly and I gave in and kissed him back.

With Jack, there were different kinds of kisses. There were the hard, more passionate ones when we were alone; the desperate ones when we were in trouble, or like when he thought I was dying; the soft and gentle ones when he just wanted to remind me that he loved me.

That was what he was doing now: kissing me softly and gently, even though we technically were alone. It was nice. I loved moments like this, when we could just be with each other without any worries, without anyone interrupting us…

"Ahem…"

Jack jumped up and my blush flared back up when I spotted Tooth standing behind us. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a slight smirk on her face.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" she asked, playing the innocent.

I resisted growling at her for wrecking the moment while Jack rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed as well.

When neither of us answered her she rolled her eyes and grinned before turning to Jack.

"North needs to see you," she informed him.

We both snapped our heads up to look at her. "What about?" we both asked simultaneously, our first thought being Jacobi.

Tooth shook her head. "I don't know, but I doubt it's about Jacobi," she answered. "He only asked to see Jack, not you Anna. If it _was _Jacobi then you'd need to be there too."

I slowly nodded, accepting that she was probably right.

Tooth pulled out one of North's snow globes. "You'd better get going," she said, holding the globe out to him.

Jack bent down to pick up his staff before taking the globe from her. "You not coming?"

She shook her head. "I've got to get back to the Tooth Palace to check on the fairies."

She smiled at both of us before waving goodbye and taking off. I was still sitting on the sand so I got up, dusting the sand off my dress.

"Have you got to go?" I asked, aware of how stupid and clingy that sounded, but I wanted to ask anyway.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I do. If North needs to see me then I have to go. Sorry."

I shook my head. "Don't apologise. It isn't your fault! I'll wait here for you, okay?"

Jack nodded, and planted a light kiss on my forehead. "I'll see you soon."

He stepped back before saying "North Pole" into the snow globe and throwing it. It expanded into the portal that would take Jack straight to North's workshop. He turned and winked at me before allowing himself to get sucked into the portal. It closed behind him and I was alone on the beach.

I sighed quietly and sat back down on the sand, pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my head on top of them. I felt really stupid. Every time Jack left I felt like this. It was like a little bit of me had left with him. I had only became this close to Jack over the past few months, but it was amazing how attached we'd both become to each other over such a short space of time.

I must have been sitting there by myself just daydreaming for around 15 minutes before I heard a voice.

"C'mon Anna! Don't look so down!"

My head shot up and my chocolate brown eyes met bright blue ones. I grinned.

"Long time no see Fawn!"

The spirit of summer plopped herself down next to me, her long golden hair trailing out behind her on the sand. There were ribbons of pastel pink, green and blue weaved through her corkscrew curls. She wore her trademark yellow dress with the yellow material of the skirt of the dress covered by gauze the same colours as the ribbons in her hair. She had gold sandals on her feet, the straps round her ankles dotted with pale pink, blue and green stones.

She grinned at me. "Yeah well, I've been a bit busy. Summer and stuff, you know?"

I nodded. "Well, you've done a pretty good job this year!"

She puffed her chest out. "Oh, I know!"

We both laughed. Fawn had always been a good friend and we got along really well.

Her face fell slightly. "You looked kinda down when I spotted you. Is everything okay?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Jack left a while ago and I was just missing him a little, that's all."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh right. _Jack_."

I sighed and elbowed her. "Hey, be nice. That's my boyfriend you're scoffing at!"

Fawn grimaced slightly. "Right…sorry, I forgot about that."

"It's okay," I replied, before frowning. "Why do you hate Jack so much?"

She sighed. "It's not that I _hate _him exactly… He just gets on my nerves. Rubs me up the wrong was I suppose."

I chewed on my lip. That was pretty much exactly what Jack had said.

Speaking of which, a portal suddenly opened next to us and Jack shot out of it, landing face first in the sand. I jumped up to help him. Fawn stayed where she was and began to examine her nails.

Jack was blushing when I helped him up, embarrassed that he'd fallen.

"Guess I still need some work on the landings," he chuckled nervously.

I smiled, but before I could reply I heard Fawn scoff behind me. I turned and saw that she was still looking at her nails.

"_Real _smooth Jackie. Landing face first, getting a mouthful of sand, right in front of your girlfriend."

She glanced up, her blue eyes turning steely. She grinned mockingly, cruelly.

Jack wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling my close to him while he glared at Fawn.

"What're you doing here Fawn?" he asked, his voice completely lacking emotion.

She stood up and brushed sand off her skirt before turning to Jack, one hand on her hip, still smirking.

"I was just passing by," she said, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger, "and I saw Anna here looking a bit down in the dumps. So I figured I'd keep her company since her boyfriend had abandoned her."

Jack growled slightly under his breath. I stepped in before he said anything he regretted.

"Fawn, you know he didn't abandon me. He had to go see North," I explained.

She held her hands up. "Oh, _sorry_. Official Guardian, high-and-mighty business, was it?"

Jack chuckled. "What, you jealous that _you _aren't a Guardian?"

She rolled her eyes. "Jackie, honey, you couldn't pay me to do that job."

Jack growled again. "Don't call me that."

She smirked again before flashing a real smile at me. "I'll see you later Anna," she said before giving Jack another smug look. "You too _Jackie_."

Before Jack or I could say anything she took off over the cliffs. Jack dropped his arm from my waist and sighed heavily.

"That girl…" he grumbled, twirling his staff around absentmindedly.

I looked off in the direction that Fawn had flown. "I don't get what it is about you two," I thought out loud.

Suddenly Jack's arms were around my waist, slowly turning me round to face him. He kissed my nose and I wrinkled it. He laughed softly.

"Don't worry about her," he said softly, resting his forehead against mine, his arms still looped round my waist. I smiled, resting my hands against his chest. He kissed me gently and we picked up where we left off.

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**AN: Yes, a lot of fluff, I know. Sorry for anyone who doesn't like fluff! I promise that the storyline shall be delved into next chapter! Unfortunately you'll probably have to wait two weeks for that. Sorry again!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway. Please leave a review! And I will see you all in a few weeks, hopefully a bit more tan than I am now! Hasta la vista! **


	3. Chapter 2 - The Eternal Winter

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've returned from Mexico! I had a great time, but I'm glad to be home. Partially because it rained every day we were there, and partially because I really missed writing! So let's get cracking with this! I did mean to get this up earlier than this but I had been trying to upload the video of my holiday but my laptop kept crashing; apparently it doesn't like me anymore. I'm going to keep trying to upload it, but I'll make sure that writing is my top priority. **

**I would also like to thank Deathly-Hunger-Jackson for giving me the idea for two of the things that are mentioned in the second half of the chapter. I'll say what they are at the end!**

**This chapter is dedicated to Katie Black Wolf Gal, EraPenn, AnnabethandPercyJackson17, CreativeSpirit28, nothinG neW undeR thE suN and Psychotic Ralts.**

**DISCLAIMER: Rise of the Guardians is owned by Dreamworks. I own Annabelle, Fawn, Oliver, the robins and the storyline.**

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**Chapter 2 – The Eternal Winter**

"Go long Bunny!" I yelled as I threw the football.

Bunny started running backwards, calling, "I got it! I got it!"

Either I threw it too far or else Bunny was too slow at running, as he didn't manage to catch the ball. Instead it bounced off of one of the giant egg statues and flew to the compete other side of the warren. Bunny sighed, his ears drooping.

"This is why I don't play American sports," he grumbled, his Aussie accent coming through stronger than ever.

I laughed before taking off and flying to the other end of the warren to recover the ball.

I hadn't seen Bunny the whole of summer so far, so we'd decided to meet up for a chat. Then he randomly produced a football out of nowhere.

I flew back and threw the ball to him before I landed. He caught it and immediately threw it back.

"So how's Frost doing?" Bunny asked.

Jack wasn't with me today as he was helping North with an "emergency". And by emergency we mean that the elves had screwed up with the toys again, which seemed to happening an awful lot lately. The yetis had been getting annoyed with North almost constantly changing his mind about the colour of the toys and such, so they'd been getting the elves to do their work. Long story short: the yetis were on strike and Jack had been drafted in to help clean up the mess the yetis had made. Actually, we'd all been drafted in. Bunny and I were heading up to helped later.

"He's fine," I answered Bunny's question, throwing the ball again. "He got fairly annoyed the other day though."

Bunny frowned as he caught the ball. "Why? What happened?"

"We saw Fawn," I said.

Bunny sighed and nodded, not needing any more explanation.

I plopped myself down on the ground, folding my arms across my chest. "I don't get it Bunny. Fawn's always lovely when it's just me and her, but as soon as Jack turns up she…well, she turns into a complete bitch to be honest."

Bunny sat himself down next to me. "Well, that's because they're Polars."

I looked up at him, raising one eyebrow. "They're what now?"

Bunny looked confused at me before something apparently dawned on him. "Oh right…you won't have heard of that yet."

I shuffled round so I was properly facing him, having a feeling he was about to tell me a story.

"Alright, Jack and Fawn are what we call Polars," Bunny started. "They're complete opposites in every way. Fawn brings the warmth of summer while Jack brings the cold of winter. Summer has long sunny days whereas winter has long cold nights. They have nothing in common at all. You remember when you helped seal Jacobi the second time round?"

I nodded. "Jack started fuming when he saw Fawn. I had to drag him away."

Bunny nodded. "The, well, _hate_ they feel towards each other is a lot stronger when they're using their magic. That's why when you guys sealed Jacobi, everyone had to cast their magic separately. We didn't want you guys starting fisticuffs in the middle of an important job."

I frowned slightly, thinking that that sounded kind of familiar…

Bunny noticed my expression. "Look, how do you get along with Oliver?"

I automatically gritted my teeth at the mention of the autumn spirit. "We _don't _get along."

"Exactly. You two are Polars as well," Bunny explained. "You bring new life in spring, and Oliver essentially kills it off in autumn."

I remained quiet as this sunk in.

"You said that you and Fawn get on fine, right?" Bunny continued. "It's the same with Jack and Oliver, and Fawn and Oliver. But Jack and Fawn? You and Oliver? No chance. No matter what you just can't agree with your Polar, and to be honest there's really nothing you can do about it."

I was thinking again. "Fawn and Jack were both spirits before I was. Did something happen between them back then or do they really just hate each other cause of the Polars thing?"

Bunny frowned again. "Well, I suppose you could say they do have a bit of a history…but it's not really my place to say."

I was confused now. "Okay…then whose place is it?"

"It will be Jack's…one day."

Colour me even more confused. "Huh?"

Bunny sighed. "They do have a history, but Jack doesn't remember it."

I nodded slowly. "So, it happened _before _Jack became a spirit?"

Bunny shook his head. "Not exactly…it's complicated. You'll find out one day."

I sighed but nodded. If Bunny couldn't tell me then he couldn't tell me. I'd hopefully find out what he'd been talking about one day.

Bunny stood up. "We'd better head to the Pole. We can't let Jack be in charge of cleaning up for long."

I smirked and stood up too. Bunny tapped his foot on the ground and a tunnel opened up. He stepped aside, his hand extended out to the mouth of the tunnel. "Ladies first?"

I curtsied. "Why thank you kind sir!" I grinned before shooting down into the tunnel, Bunny following close behind me.

* * *

Very soon we were at the North Pole, and it was in complete chaos. Jack and North had clearly had a tough time keeping control of the elves. Thinking that the robins could probably help us round the little annoying things up, I had Bunny open up another tunnel leading to the hideout and quickly flew through it to ask them to help. They had all agreed, and now North, Bunny, Jack and I were standing on the platform below the globe watching the birds play rodeo with the cheeky little imps. Even Heather and the other chicks were helping.

Jack yawned next to me. "I am bushed," he muttered.

North chuckled. "You can take nap in office if you want," he offered. "Window seat is quite comfortable."

Jack yawned again. "I might take you up on that," he said. He planted a kiss on the side of my head before he shuffled to North's office.

Bunny was leaning over the rails at the edge of the platform, grimacing.

"I'd better get down there," he sighed. "The elves are trying to paint Nibbles and Cheddar blue."

He jumped of the side of the platform and began wrestling with the elves. I chuckled before turning to North.

"Can I ask you something?" I said.

He looked down at me and nodded. "Of course! What is on your mind?"

"Well…Bunny explained to me about the Polars earlier," I began. "I was wondering if there was anything really wrong with it. I mean, there are always people who just can't get along with each other. Why is the winter and summer spirits not liking each other such a big deal that it has a name?"

North frowned. "Give me minute," he said, before walking over to his office.

He opened the door, which Jack had closed behind him, very quietly. I was guessing from his expression that Jack had already fallen asleep. He snuck in, which considering his size was quick impressive, and snuck back out again a few moments later carrying a large book under his arm, closing the door behind him.

As he walked back over to me I realised that I recognised the book. It was the book about the Destined Spirits that North had showed me and Jack before.

He handed it to me (and it was insanely heavy) and I saw that I could now read the title. Looks like what North had said about only Guardians being able to read it was true; I hadn't become a Guardian yet the first time I'd seen this book.

"Read chapter 5," North said. "I should make sure Bunny is not killing the elves."

I smirked and nodded, and he headed down to the workshop below us. I sat down on the floor, resting the heavy book on my knees, and turned to chapter five. On one page there was a picture of the two Destined Spirits flying in a circle above a snowy landscape. The odd thing was the faces of the boy and girl were both angry. When I'd spoken to them they'd seemed like they'd always gotten along.

The page next to this was full of writing and was titled, _'The Eternal Winter'_. I began to read to myself.

'_Once, before they had discovered their ability to swap their powers, the young boy and girl spirits had a huge fight. It is not known what this fight was about, only that it was over something trivial. The two whom were normally best friends did not speak to each other for an entire winter. _

'_When it came time for the snow to melt for spring again, the boy refused to change the patterns of the moon and sun. As such the ice and snow did not melt, and a near eternal winter began.'_

I frowned. A near eternal winter? That sounded like the Ice Age…

'_The girl and boy worked out their differences, and the near eternal winter ended, giving way to another beautiful spring.'_

As I shut the book over, North was walking back towards me. I stood back up to hand him the book back.

"What's that got to do with Fawn and Jack?" I asked. "I know he doesn't like her, but I doubt he'll cause another Ice Age because of it."

North sighed sadly. "He may not cause Ice Age, but Fawn has begun to refuse to lower temperature during winter. A lot of people are calling this global warming."

My eyes widened. "Fawn is causing global warming?"

North nodded. "Essentially, yes."

I blew a raspberry in frustration. "That girl needs a talking to."

North nodded again. "Actually, I was hoping you could talk to her. She will not listen to the rest of us as she says we are on Jack's side."

"Of course I will," I agreed.

North thanked me before heading back down to help Bunny again (the elves were now attempting to tie the robins to the toy planes), and I leant over the rail to watch whilst thinking about what North had essentially asked me to do.

Fawn was causing people to be scared that global warming was going to basically destroy the world, and I had to try and talk some sense into her without Jack finding out, lest he attempt something really stupid.

…Oh boy.

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**AN: Hope you enjoyed this! Please review! **

**And the ideas Deathly-Hunger-Jackson gave me were about the Ice Age and global warming! Thanks Simone! :-D**


	4. Chapter 3 - Confrontation

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have made a very important decision about the future of this story today while I was taking the dog for a walk! (I swear I get all my best ideas while I'm out with the dog…) I may tell you about this decision…BUT THEN AGAIN I MIGHT NOT! We shall seeeeeee!**

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please review!**

**DISCLAIMER: Rise of the Guardians is owned by Dreamworks. I own Annabelle, Fawn, Oliver and the robins.**

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Confrontation **

"So let me get this straight. The reason I can't stand Fawn is because of this Polar thing and not because she's an annoying twit?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, the reason you think she's an annoying twit is because of this Polar thing."

Jack sighed. "Whatever. She's still an annoying twit."

Jack and I were sitting in a tree in the forest near my hideout watching the chicks practise flying formations, and I was explaining to him everything I'd found out from Bunny, North and the book.

"Hang on," I started, realising something, "how come you didn't know about all this stuff already? You became a Guardian way before me so you could've read this in the book."

He shrugged. "Apart from that time when North showed us both the story of the Destined Spirits, I never looked at that book. I hadn't heard of all this stuff before now."

He stretched his hands above his head, arching his back slightly. "I dunno about this Polar stuff. I still say I don't like Fawn cause there isn't anything likeable about her."

I rolled my eyes again. "Look Jack, it makes sense. You don't like Fawn, but I'm fine with her. I don't like Oliver, but you're fine with him. The stuff Bunny said works out. Winter and summer are opposites, and so are spring and autumn. It makes sense that we don't get along with them."

Jack looked thoughtful. "Well…it's true I don't get why you seem to hate Oliver…but look at it this way. Do you have any intention of making friends with Oliver?"

I snorted. "Heck no. He's a prat."

"Exactly," Jack nodded, making his point. "And I have no intention of making friends with Fawn. It's always been like this, so why does it have to change now?"

"Cause Fawn's scaring all the humans," I stated. "Global warming is freaking a lot of people out. We're Guardians. We're meant to protect the children of the world, and letting them freak out over rising temperatures and sea levels isn't protecting them."

"If Fawn won't lower the temperature for winter then I'll just have to keep making it colder," Jack said.

"And Fawn will just make it warmer again," I replied. "Normally, Fawn was fine with letting you drop the temperature cause winter was the time when she got to rest, but she doesn't seem to care about that anymore. All she seems to care about now is making life harder for you."

Jack turned to face me properly. "Well, why hasn't Oliver been targeting you?"

I sighed. "He kind of has…"

Jack frowned. "What do you mean?"

I twirled my staff around in my hands absentmindedly. "Summers have been getting shorter. Autumn's been starting earlier."

Jack didn't understand. "But how is that against you? Surely that's against Fawn."

I shook my head. "Autumn's also been getting warmer. Fawn hasn't minded the early onset of autumn because the temperature hasn't had to drop much, but it means that all the plants have been dying earlier than usual."

I stopped twirling my staff and clenched my fist.

"I know that the planets have to die. I know it's just a part of nature. But still, when it happens, it hurts _me_. And when it's happening earlier than it should it hurts even more."

Jack looked shocked. "I'm so sorry…I didn't realise."

I smiled slightly. "Don't apologise, of course you didn't know."

Jack was shaking his head. "It…it actually _hurts_ you?"

I nodded. "It's the same with Fawn. When you bring the clouds and the snow it hurts her too. It doesn't affect you and Oliver because when your work changes, like when the snow melts or when plants bud back into life, it's not what most humans would think of as a bad change. But when it gets cold or when plants die it hurts those who made it warm or who brought life into those plants in the first place."

He frowned again. "So…I hurt Fawn? Like, physically hurt her?"

I nodded again. "Yeah, but there's nothing you can do to stop that, unless winter was to stop."

Realisation flashed in Jack's eyes. "If I wasn't able to make it as cold would that hurt Fawn less?"

I thought about it and nodded slowly, realising where he was going with this. "So Fawn is making it harder for you to lower the temperature because it causes her less pain!"

Jack growled under his breath. "That selfish little…"

A loud chirp from Rudi blocked out the last word, but I can assure you it wasn't pretty.

"So what're we going to do?" Jack asked.

"_I _am going to try to talk to Fawn about the global warming thing. _You _are going to stay out of sight lest one of you rip the head off of the other."

"Oh come on!" Jack groaned. "I promise I'll be good!"

"Nu uh," I said, folding my arms over my chest with a 'Serious Business' look on my face. "You and her aren't getting into another argument that I have to referee."

Jack sighed but nodded. "_Fine_," he moaned, pouting like a child.

I laughed and leant over, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek which caused him to grin.

* * *

I had sent to robins out on recon and they'd come back telling me that Fawn was in Spain. A quick flight later and I was pacing round the beaches of Malaga looking for her. I found her hovering over the crystal clear waters of a small beach which belonged to a large hotel complex, watching a group of kids play beach volleyball. I flew over to her and she waved as she caught slight of me.

"Hey Anna!" she called, flying over to meet me. "What's up?"

"I really need to talk to you Fawn," I said, getting straight to the point.

She could see from my face that I was serious so she nodded and we flew down to stand on a quiet part of the beach with no people around, just in case.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I was talking to North the other day. Have you ever heard of the expression 'Polars' before?" I asked.

She shook her head, so I quickly explained about her and Jack, and me and Oliver. She nodded slowly as she took it all in.

"So the reason I can't stand Jack is because of this Polars thing and not just because he's an annoying twit?" she clarified.

I laughed under my breath at how her reaction was the exact same as Jack's had been, but nodded in answer to her question.

"But here's the problem," I started to explain. "You've been making it harder for Jack to bring winter by keeping the temperatures higher than they should be at that time of year and as a result people are getting freaked out about global warming, so I wanted to ask if you'd just let him do his job."

Fawn's eyes darkened slightly and she folded her arms across her chest. "I can't do that Anna. You have no idea how much it hurts me when he makes it freezing and covers the ground with his snow. Doing this doesn't hurt either of you, so I don't know why you're making a fuss."

My jaw dropped in disbelief. "Of course I know how that feels! Every time autumn comes and Oliver kills off all the plants it feels like part of me is dying along with them!"

A flash of guilt passed over Fawn's face, but before she could say anything I continued.

"And it may not be hurting me or Jack, but it's scaring kids. They hear stuff on the news all the time about rising sea levels and greenhouse gases, and you're part of the reason they're scared!"

Fawn snorted. "Oh, it's always about the kids with you," she spat, her voice full of sarcasm, any guilt she'd felt about her earlier comment gone. "Ever since you became a Guardian you've changed. You never used to give two hoots about kids."

Before I could belay that, she carried on with a smirk on her face. "In fact, I bet you still don't really care about kids. I bet you're just saying all this to protect your _boyfriend_."

I opened my mouth to scream, but someone said what I was planning on saying before I could do it.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

I turned to see Jack hovering behind me, his anger clear on his face. Fawn snorted again.

"Stay out of this Jackie. This is between me and Anna."

"It's between me too when you insult her like that!" Jack growled, ignoring Fawn's nickname jab.

"Hey, how come I wasn't invited to the party?"

Jack's eyes immediately flew to me when we heard that voice. My fists clenched and I gritted my teeth.

Oliver.

Oliver landed next to Fawn, smiling at her and nodded to Jack before he grinned mockingly at me. He wore a white cotton shirt with sleeves down to his elbows under a brown waistcoat. His brown pants stopped at the same part of his legs that Jacks did, and he wore brown slip on shoes on his feet. His chocolate brown hair was the same shade as mine (which had always bugged me) but was a lot shorter; the same length as Jacks but with a fringe which covered his right eye. He wore a slim gold chain around his neck.

"Hey _Anna_," he said, speaking my name with venom.

"…Oliver," I replied curtly, trying to remind myself that I had to try and not like his to prove that this Polar thing could be overcome, but seeing him right there in front of me made it hard. The only reason I was clenching my fists was so I didn't reach out and strangle him.

He rested his arm on Fawn's shoulder and looked at all three of us in turn. "So, what we talking 'bout?"

Fawn grinned at him before pushing him off and playfully punching him on the arm. Jack groaned.

"Please tell me you're not…" he grumbled, directing the question at Oliver.

He chuckled and shook his head while Fawn rolled her eyes. "Nah, we're just friends," he replied before eying me and Jack again. "Which is more than I can say for you two."

I glared at him. "What about it?" I challenged.

Oliver shrugged. "Oh, nothing. It's just that Jack could do _much _better than you."

I just gritted my teeth again at his comment, but Jack walked right up to Oliver until their noses were almost touching. They were the same height but Jack was so angry that it was like he was towering over him.

"Don't you _ever _talk to Anna like that again," he spat, literally.

Oliver slowly wiped the spit off of his face and grinned evilly at Jack. "Or what?"

I saw sparks starting to crack on Jack's staff, so I grabbed his arm and pulled him back before he did something he'd later regret. The sparks faded as he calmed down slightly.

Fawn nudged Oliver. "Come on, let's get out of here," she said, unfolding her wings and jumping into the air, hovering just above us. Oliver followed, not needing wings as he flew in the same way Jack did.

"You haven't heard the last of this," Jack promised.

Fawn smirked. "Oh no you haven't Jackie. Trust me, you haven't."

They both then flew away.

I gulped slightly, watching them fly off. "That sounded like a threat."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, it did." He turned to face me. "Come on, let's get to the Pole. We need to tell North what happened."

I nodded in agreement and we both took off in the opposite direction of Fawn and Oliver.

* * *

**AN: Dun dun dun duuuuuuunnnn! Drama! :-P **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 4 - Pain

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter is dedicated to AlexisBrookeStarr, ArtemisMoon234, Eclipsegirl4488, Fellowship of Avengers and Lady Triplet.**

…**Yeah, I'm very aware that this took me ages. My excuses are the usual: being back at school, homework piling up, having to look after the new first years blah. Sorry! Please don't whack me… *hides under table***

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please review!**

**DISCLAIMER: Rise of the Guardians is owned by Dreamworks. I own Annabelle, Fawn, Oliver and the robins.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Pain**

"Let me make sure I understand: you were meant to talk Fawn out of global warming and instead you've started a feud between the Polar seasons?"

I nodded sheepishly at North.

"…Vot der'mo," he muttered under his breath.

Jack and I had flown straight to the Pole to explain to North what had happened, and he had summoned the other Guardians there immediately. Jack was now explaining the situation to the others while I stood avoiding North's gaze, knowing it took a lot for him to curse, in English or in Russian.

I heard Bunny sigh loudly. "So basically, you've made our job ten times more difficult."

Jack rolled his eyes at him while Tooth fluttered over to me, looking worried.

"I didn't realise you felt pain when autumn comes," she said, resting her hand on my arm.

Sandy and Bunny both looked over at me with concern in their eyes. I smiled and shook my head.

"Please don't worry about that," I insisted. "After 250 years, you get used to it."

They still looked worried, as did Jack now. I sighed.

"Shouldn't we be focusing on the more pressing issue at hand here?" I pointed out.

The four of them nodded and we all turned to face North. His face fell.

"You do you all think I can solve this?" he cried.

"Um…cause you're the one who always comes up with the plans?" Bunny pointed out.

"Yeah, you know," Jack continued. "You suddenly come up with something and then you jump around and yell 'IDEA!'"

Jack did a scarily good impression of North doing that, and Tooth, Bunny and I all burst into fits of laughter. Sandy tried to hold it in, but failed and started silently chuckling. North just frowned.

"I do not look that ridiculous," he grumbled, making all of us laugh even more. Eventually North rolled his eyes and chuckled along with us.

As I looked around at everyone, I started to worry less and less about the situation we were in. I knew that these people (and rabbit) would keep the children safe. They might not be part of this rivalry between the four of us season spirits, but they would make sure it wouldn't get out of hand.

Or at least, that's what I'd hoped.

* * *

A few weeks later we were all back at the Pole together. It was the coolest place we could find at the moment since Fawn had made it even hotter. Jack and I had tried to stay in my hideout but even in the cool underground Jack was practically melting. The Pole seemed the most logical place to go to cool down, although Fawn had made it so warm that North had said he'd noticed the ice around the Pole getting slightly thinner. Jack had tried to bring the temperature down, but he couldn't without making it full-on winter.

So Jack and I had decided to crash at the Pole for a few days while we figured out a plan. The robins were all staying at the hideout, with Rudi and Ivy in charge. Bunny, Tooth and Sandy had caught wind of our plan and somehow it had become a mini sleepover. Sandy still had to leave at night to do his job, and Tooth had to manage the fairies, but apart from that we were all having a good time just chilling out (no pun intended) and helping North out with making the toys.

Other than raising the temperature, Fawn and Oliver hadn't done anything else, and we weren't really sure how to take that. It either meant that that was as far as they were going to take it, or that they were planning something big. I didn't want to think it was the latter, but I did.

Right now Tooth, Bunny and I were standing on the platform under the globe watching North chase around Sandy and Jack who were "testing" the toys and laughing as they jumped onto the toy planes to get away from him. North seemed temped to pick up the elves and throw them at them, but the elves seemed to sense this and scurry out of the way before he could.

Bunny chuckled at their antics before turning to me. "So how've you been feeling?"

I frowned at him. "Where'd that come from?"

"We've all been worried about you and Jack," Tooth told me. "We're worried that Fawn and Oliver might hurt you two."

"Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against either of them," Bunny said, "but what Fawn's doing is unacceptable."

I sighed, turning back to watch Jack flying away from North. "I don't want to hate her," I admitted. "I thought we were good friends. But when I see what she's doing to Jack…I just can't accept it."

"And he can't accept what Oliver's doing to you," Tooth said, gently resting her hand on my arm.

I smiled slightly. "Yeah…he's stubborn."

"Well that's something you both share then," Bunny mused, grinning.

I stuck my tongue out at him and all three of us laughed.

"In all seriousness though," Bunny continued, "yes he is stubborn, but that's not why he's angry at Oliver. It's because he can't stand that Oliver is hurting you more than he is supposed to when he changes the seasons."

"Like I said, stubborn," I replied.

Tooth shook her head. "No, it's because he cares about you. He was actually quite good friends with Oliver, like you were with Fawn, but if Oliver does something to hurt you then he won't forgive him easily. He really loves you."

Even though I knew that Jack loved me, Tooth's statement still made me blush. Bunny rolled his eyes.

"Oh spare me the romantic drivel," he sighed, grinning.

Tooth and I both punched him on the arm, which just made him grin even more.

Jack and Sandy suddenly landed on the platform next to us.

"Hey, what're you guys all laughing at?" Jack asked.

I smiled and shook my head. "Doesn't matter," I told him as I moved over to stand next to him, intertwining my fingers with his automatically and giving him a peck on the cheek which made him smile. Tooth and Sandy also smiled, while Bunny pretended to gag.

"Where's North?" Tooth asked, realising he was missing.

Jack and Sandy just looked over to the stairs. Right on queue we started to hear wheezing as North heaved himself up the last step. Sandy and Jack both had huge grins on their faces, and North glared at both of them.

"Jack…you are having too much influence on Sandy…" he panted.

I raised an eyebrow at both of them. "I know you were chasing him and all, but did you really have to make him have an asthma attack?"

Jack winked at me. "We were just trying to give North a little workout!"

He walked over to North, who was now pretty much collapsed on the floor, and prodded him with his staff. "Cause, no offence or anything North, but you could use the exercise."

North glared at him again while the rest of us laughed.

"I think North's right though," Bunny grinned, nudging Sandy on the shoulder. "Frost is rubbing off on you too much mate."

Sandy just shrugged and smiled, and Jack dove over and punched him on the shoulder.

"See? Sandy and I are partners in crime now!" he declared as they high-fived.

"Careful Anna!" Tooth giggled. "You might have some competition for Jack's attention now!"

We all laughed, including North who had semi-recovered by now, and Jack slid over to me and pecked me on the cheek, our hands linking again.

We were all so happy and relaxed; it was lovely.

But of course, that never seems to happen for long with us.

All of a sudden there was a sudden sharp pain in my chest. I pulled my head down to my chest, grimacing due to the ache. Just as everyone noticed, the pain grew until I couldn't keep myself standing. I withered to the ground, physically shaking with the agony I was in. I felt like I was on fire.

I felt Jack's arm round me, pulling me up so my head was on his lap. I curled into him, unable to move any more than that. I could only just hear their voices over a screaming noise which took me a few moments to figure out was coming from me.

"What's happening? What's wrong with her?"

"I have no idea…this has never happened before?"

"No! I've never seen this happen to her before!"

"Jack, calm down. You yelling isn't going to help her."

"Go easy on him Tooth…you can't blame him..."

"I know, but…"

I tried to focus on their voices instead of the pain, but I couldn't. I knew this pain, but never on this level before. I felt it every year around the start of September, and every day until the middle of the month. This felt like those three weeks of discomfort were being condensed into right now. I opened my mouth to try and tell everyone what was going on, but it just came out as a croak. Jack saw me trying to speak and leant in closer.

"What is it Anna? What's going on?" he asked, his worry evident on his face.

"…autumn…" I tried to explain through my tears. "…Oliver…"

I saw Jack's face turn from worry to rage. He carefully slid my head off of his lap, grabbed his staff which he had discarded when I'd collapsed, and stood up, muttering, "I'm going to kill him…"

I tried to reach out my hand to stop him, but I still couldn't move. As he lifted into the air, Tooth grabbed onto the sleeve of his hoodie to stop him.

"Tooth, let me go!" he insisted, trying to pull away.

But Tooth refused to let go. "No Jack! You can't go off in a fit of rage; who knows what you might do!?"

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do!" he yelled. "I'm gonna make Oliver pay for what he's done to Anna!"

Tooth stood her ground. "You can do that later. For now Anna needs you."

Jack looked over at me, still on the ground with North, Sandy and Bunny gathered round me looking very worried, and his face softened. He lowers himself down to the floor, and Tooth let go of his sleeve. They both walked back over to me, and Jack knelt back down on the floor next to me.

By this point the pain was subsiding a little and I was able to push myself into an almost-sitting position. Jack supported me by sliding me backwards so my back was resting against his chest. He brushed some hair off of face that had been sticking to my forehead and looked down at me worriedly.

"Are…are you okay now?" he asked softly.

I nodded slowly, trying to smile so he wouldn't worry as much. "I'm alright…it still hurts but it's not as bad."

He frowned. "What was it? What happened exactly?"

I shook my head. "I'm not…I'm not sure. It felt like…like Oliver had suddenly made it autumn everywhere all at once, rather than doing it gradually like normal."

Jack looked like he wanted to punch someone, but luckily he didn't. Instead he picked me up and turned to the others.

"North, can you get a portal open to Anna's hideout?" he asked. "I think I'd better take her home."

North looked like he was about to agree when I moaned.

"No…not through the portal…if I go through one of them right now I'll throw up…"

Jack grimaced before North spoke up. "She can stay here until she feels well enough to get home. You were planning on staying here anyway, no?"

I nodded weakly, mouthing 'Thank you' before Jack carried me off to a bedroom. I chuckled softly as he kicked the door closed behind us.

"What's so funny?" he asked, smiling at the sound of me laughing.

I looked up at him. "Don't you recognise this room?" I asked.

He looked at the room properly, and his eyes widened. "My room when we stayed here before…where I combed the dried blood out of your hair after our fight with Jacobi…"

I blushed faintly at the memory to me trying to not freak out when Jack had started to comb my hair that night. Jack noticed and smiled, leaning down to kiss the tip of my nose. I crinkled it up and he laughed.

"You'd better get some sleep," he said, laying me down on the bed. "The pain will hopefully have gone away by the time you wake up."

I nodded as he sat down on the bed next to me. He stroked my hair gently, softly running his thumb over my temple as he did so. Slowly I fell asleep.

* * *

I woke up a few hours later to see that Jack had been replaced by Tooth. I sat up properly, giving her a shock.

"Hey," she said softly. "How're you feeling?"

I smiled. "Better thanks. The pain's still there, but not much anymore."

Tooth smiled back with relief. "Good…"

I looked around. "Um…where's Jack?"

Tooth grimaced. "Ugh…you're not going to like this."

I sighed heavily. "Why? What's he done?"

"Sandy and I went out to investigate once we were sure you were asleep," she explained, "and it turns out Oliver has suddenly made it autumn everywhere. That pain you felt was all the plants everywhere in the world dying all at once."

I clenched my fist, looking down at the floor. "How…how could he do that?"

"That was Jack's thought," Tooth continued. "He went out to try and confront Oliver but he couldn't find him. So…he did something stupid."

I looked up, and I saw how worried she looked. She was looking down, so I ducked down, forcing her to look me in the eye.

"Tooth…what did he do?"

"…He's caused freak weather in Spain, Mexico, Australia and Brazil. Huge snowstorms and freezing winds. He said that since Fawn was working with Oliver, he's make her feel the same pain you felt."

My mouth dropped open and I ran for the door. I sprinted to the platform and saw the grave faces of North, Bunny and Sandy. I shook my head slowly and stared at the globe.

Jack…what have you done?


	6. Chapter 5 - Buttons

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter is dedicated to Chiharu Himeji, Usagi2213 and kroko148.**

**No offence to the three people above, but this chapter is mainly dedicated to one of my best friends who I think still reads this story, although she might have stopped but hey. Worth a shot. **

**Honey, I know you're going through some really crappy stuff right now, and I know you'll be sick to the back teeth of me constantly saying this to you, but I am always **_**always **_**here for you. Whenever. Alright? Love yah xxx**

**DISCLAIMER: Rise of the Guardians is owned by Dreamworks. I own Annabelle, Fawn, Oliver and the robins.**

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Buttons**

About an hour later Jack flew back to the Pole, coming in through the hidden door on the roof. I'd been pacing about nervously for the past 60 minutes and everyone else was looking at me worriedly. When Jack landed on the platform he looked up at me sheepishly. I walked up to him and without a moment's hesitation I slapped him in the face. Everyone gasped except for Bunny who chuckled but was soon silenced when everyone else glared at him.

"What the hell did you go and do that for!?" I shouted at him.

Jack sighed. "I'm sorry...but I had to do something after what they did to you! Fawn deserved it."

I screamed in frustration. "Forget about Fawn for a second! What about everyone else? You're a Guardian! You're meant to protect the children of the world! The whole point of trying to talk to Fawn was because what she was doing was scaring kids. Now what do you think is going to happen? People are going to think it's the end of the world or something!"

Jack started to glare at me. "Well excuse me for wanting to stand up for my girlfriend!" he spat.

My hands balled up into fists. "I never asked you to stand up for me."

I knew I was being unfair, but I couldn't help it. My judgment was being clouded by anger and frustration. All I could think about was how stupid Jack had been. I couldn't see that behind the glare he was giving me, there were tears forming in his eyes.

He looked down for a moment and swallowed before jerking his head back up and staring me down. "At least I know where I stand now," he said coolly. "I'll be sure to not bother defending you again if that's the case."

I held his gaze, refusing to look away and let him win.

You could have cut the tension with a knife. From the corner of my eye I saw Tooth start to move towards us but North held her back.

Jack's grip on his staff tightened before he suddenly took off and shot back out of the opening in the roof. Without waiting another moment I flew back to the room I'd fallen asleep in earlier, grabbed hold of my own staff and took off out of the window. I heard Tooth call me back but I ignored her.

* * *

I didn't even look for Jack on my flight back to the forest. I could just see red. I was angry. I had never felt so angry at anyone other than Jacobi and Oliver. I was flying on autopilot all the way to the hideout until I landed on the floor of the main chamber. None of the birds were there which was to be expected; it was already night-time so they would have been asleep in the crannies.

I spotted something on the table to my left. It was two glasses. The two glasses of orange juice that Jack had drunk that day only a few weeks ago. I had never gotten around to clearing them away.

That's when what I had said hit me.

My staff dropped to the floor with a clatter and I soon followed it, dropping to my knees. What had I done? Tears fell from my eyes and ran over my hands which were now covering my mouth to try and muffle the sobs. Jack was the most important person in my life and I'd pushed him away…and for what? Because he had been trying to protect me. Yeah, he hadn't gone about it in the best way possible, but he was just trying to look after me. And after everything we'd been through together, how could I shout at him and push him away because of that?

"Anna?"

I recognised Tooth's voice without having to turn around. I didn't get up off the floor knowing very well that my eyes would be all red and that there was no point in hiding the fact I was crying; Tooth already knew.

She knelt down next to me on the floor and pulled me into a hug. I sobbed into her shoulder while she stroked my hair.

"Tooth…What have I done?" I asked when I'd manage to stop crying. My bloodshot eyes met her kind lilac ones.

"Don't cry anymore, okay?" she said soothingly. "Bunny's talking to Jack. It'll be fine. You're both just on edge because of what Fawn and Oliver are doing."

I sniffed. "But…we've never fought before. What happens if we're not alright?"

Tooth smiled. "Anna, friends fight all the time. Couples fight all the time too. It just makes their bond stronger."

I blinked. "Really?"

She nodded. "Really. So stop crying, alright?"

I sniffed again and nodded back. "Alright."

Tooth stood up and offered her hand to me. I took and she helped me up, before leading me over to the table. She cleared away the two glasses before she started looking through drawers in my kitchen. She smiled at me over her shoulder.

"Cup of tea?"

I smiled gratefully. "Please."

* * *

**JACK'S POV**

"Damn it damn it _damn it_!"

I kept cursing over and over again, angry tears leaking from my eyes, before I flipped round and kicked the wall I was standing next to. I paused for a moment before howling in pain, which made me even angrier.

I was standing in the back alley where Bunny had once flung me in a sack before I was a Guardian. Before Anna and I had… I screamed in frustration again and began to punch the wall, ignoring the pain and the blood starting to spurt from my knuckles.

"Jack, the wall didn't do nothin' to yah."

I scowled before I turned to face Bunnymund. "What do you want?"

The oversized rabbit was standing leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

"I don't want anything mate. It's Anna what needs you right now."

I looked away from him, my hands turning into fists. "Anna made her feelings perfectly clear."

Bunny sighed. "Jack, she's a girl. What's more she's a teenage girl. They have hormones flyin' all over the place. You gotta go easy with them."

He chuckled slightly. "_This _is why we Guardians usually only deal with children, not teenagers."

I couldn't stop myself from grinning a little. Bunny smiled too and walked over, clapping me on the shoulder.

"Look, Anna didn't mean what she said. She's stubborn. She knows that's one of her bad qualities. But she definitely did not mean what she said. She knows you were just looking out for her."

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck. "What is it with girls?"

Bunny shrugged. "Girls have…they've got buttons. You've just gotta make sure you don't press the wrong ones."

I chuckled. "You're right there."

I sighed again. "So what do I do?"

"Go find Anna and apologise for being an ass," Bunny replied. "I thought that at least was obvious."

"But I wasn't an ass!" I insisted. "I was just trying to protect her! You said that yourself!"

"Yeah, but she still thinks you acted like an ass. And to be honest you kinda did."

I groaned again and slumped down against the wall, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I really screwed up, didn't I?"

Bunny, not being one to beat about the bush, simply said, "Yep."

I rolled my eyes and glared at him. "Helpful, thanks."

He chuckled before tapping his foot to the ground, opening up a tunnel. I looked at it but I didn't move off of the wall. He sighed and nodded at the hole.

"On you go then."

I raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"

"The tunnel goes to Anna's hideout. Tooth's there with her. Go talk to her."

I sighed. "I dunno…"

Bunny stepped towards me, looking slightly menacing. "Jack, if you don't get in that tunnel then I swear I'll toss you in a sack again and drag you there myself."

I was starting to get a bit nervous, but then I saw a slight twinkle in Bunny's eye. I smiled slightly and shook my head at him. I knew he was just looking out for both me and Anna.

"Well, I guess I'd better go then," I smiled.

Bunny grinned and clapped me on the shoulder. "Good man."

I shoved him off, but I was still smiling. I knew what to do now.

I turned back to Bunny and nodded. "Thanks."

He nodded back. "Remember, buttons. Don't push the wrong ones."

I smiled. "Yeah, I know."

I dropped into the tunnel and silently commanded the wind to blow me through towards Anna.

* * *

**ANNA'S POV**

Tooth and I were half-way through our mugs of tea when a hole opened in the floor. I stood up, expecting Bunny to bound through, but I wasn't entirely surprised when Jack flew through and landed on the floor next to it. I let out a breath I didn't even realise I was holding. Jack smiled at me softly.

"Hey."

I smiled back. "Hi."

I heard Tooth's chair scrapping across the floor as she stood up. "I'll give you two some time alone," she said quietly before she fluttered over to the tunnel Jack had just come out of and flew in. It closed behind her.

Neither Jack nor I spoke for a while. We both just stood there, me awkwardly shifting from foot to foot and wringing my hands, until Jack made the first move.

"Is it…okay if I sit down?" he asked, gesturing to the chair I'd just gotten out of when he arrived. I quickly nodded and he made his way to the chair. I walked round to the other side of the table and sat down where Tooth had been sitting. He smiled when he saw the mugs.

"Tooth made you tea?"

I nodded, looking down at the mugs rather than at him. "Yeah…she came round to talk."

Jack nodded. "Bunny did the same with me."

He was quiet for a few moments before he sighed. "Anna, please look at me," he said softly.

I swallowed before I allowed my eyes to rise up to meet his.

He took a deep breath before he started to talk. "Anna, I'm so sorry for…" he smiled slightly, "for being an ass. I shouldn't have acted so rashly, especially when you were still in pain. All I could think about was how Oliver and Fawn had hurt you and…"

I reached over and grabbed his hands, squeezing them tightly.

"Jack, _I'm _sorry," I insisted. "I know you were just trying to look after me. I over-reacted…" I looked down in shame. "I shouldn't have yelled at you when you were doing what you thought was right. I'm so sorry…"

Jack let out a strange noise and I looked up and gasped. He was crying. Really crying. His eyes were red, tears were streaming down his face and he kept sniffing.

"I…I was scared," he mumbled through the tears, squeezing his eyes shut and tilting his head down. "I was scared that I wrecked everything. I was scared that you wouldn't want to talk to me again."

I moved one of my hands up to his cheek and tilted his head up. He opened my eyes and looked at me through his tears.

"Jack, we had a fight. Best friends fight all the time," I echoed what Tooth had said to me not long ago. "We'll come out the other side closer, and we'll be able to stop Fawn and Oliver. _Together_."

Jack sobbed again before he slid off his chair onto the floor. He was kneeling on the ground, tears still escaping from his eyes, although it looked like he was trying to stop now. I walked over and knelt down next to him, wiping away the tears that were running down his cheeks. He looked up at me, a slight twinkle coming back into his eyes, and he pulled me into a tight hug before he began to cry into my shoulder. I held him close and stoked his hair softly, managing to not chuckle at the fact that we had swapped from our usual positions of Jack comforting me.

Of course I hated that he felt so upset, but saying that, it felt nice that I could be there for Jack for once.

After a few moments Jack's sobs seemed to subside and he sat back, taking a deep breath.

"Thank you," he said quietly, running his arm across his face to catch the last few tears.

I smiled softly. "Anytime."

Jack looked into my eyes before he smiled slightly and sighed, shaking his head. I frowned.

"…What?" I asked.

He leaned forward slowly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear and sliding his hand behind my neck before he rested his forehead again mine. He entwined the fingers of his other hand with mine.

"I just realised how lucky I am," he sighed softly before he kissed me.

I was taken aback for a few moments before I began to kiss him back. He used his hand on the back of my neck to pull me closer, deepening the kiss. He then slowly ran his hand down my spine, making me shiver and giggle lightly. I felt him smile against my lips.

He pulled back slightly, bringing both his hands up and tangling them in my hair, looking into my eyes. His eyes were twinkling the way that they always did. I smiled, resting one of my hands on his cheek and the other on his knee. My Jack was back.

"I love you," he murmured softly.

I stroked his cheek softly. "I love you too."

He smiled that smile I knew and loved so well before he leaned in to kiss me again.

* * *

**AN: Yep, lotsa fluff. Sorry about that…**

**I know this chapter didn't really develop the plot much, but I hope you still enjoyed it! If you have any ideas for what kind of stuff Fawn and Oliver should do to Jack and Anna, and what they should do for revenge, then please let me know!**

**Thanks again for reading! Please review!**


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